Combined bread receptacle and slicing platform



Nuez, 1926.

M. w. P'oTTER COMBINED BREAD RECEPTAGLE AHB SLICING PLATFQRM Filed may 15, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 914 -WITNESSSZ 2' INVENTOR WPOa/f ATORNE'YS M. w. POTTER COMBINED BREADRECEPTACLE AND SLICING ILATFDRM` Nov. 2 1926.

yl/ ///l// ATTORNEYS I Patented Novi 4 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES MILTON WILLIAM'POTTER, oF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

COMBINED BREAD DECEPTACLE AND SLICING PLATFORM.

Application vfiled May 15, 1925. Serial No. 30,591.

My invention isiacombined bread receptacle and slicing platform, and 1t consists in the combinations,` constructions Zand arrangements .herein described and claimed.

An object of the"invention is the provision of a receptacle which'is adapted when closed to house a loaf of bread, cake or the like, so that the loaf will be kept in good condition and which has associated therewith a platform capable ofy guided movement when a door of the'receptacle is open to and from position within the receptacle, the platform being adapted vto support the loaf so that slices of any oneof a plurality of thicknesses 'can be severed from the loaf accurately, quickly and cleanly.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character described ywhich. includes a loaf supporting platform movable when the receptacle of the device is open to and from' position, within the receptacle and having 'means associated therewith for catching the crumbs which may beproduced as a result of the slicing of the loaf on the platform.

A` further object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character described which is economical to manufacture and thoroughly practical commercially.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, ^considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, forming a part .of this application, in whichz- Fig. l is a perspective view of the combined bread receptacle and slicing platform with the platform retracted into the rece tacle and the door of the receptacle close Fig. 2 is alongitudinal vertical section through the device, showing a loaf of bread supported on the platform within the receptacle. and the door of the receptacle slightly open, the section being taken substantially along` the line`2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the d vice with the platform partly extended, showing l the loaf retained in position to be sliced and indicating the path ofmo-vement of a knife blade in severing a slice from' the loaf; and- Figi 'ir is a transverse vertical section through the device, substantially along the Of Fig. 1. ,i The'receptacle may be made of .alight gauge metal or any other'suitable materialand comprises a hollow body l which preferably, although not. necessarily, has the cross-sectional contour best seen in Fig. 4 and which includes a fiat bottom 2 merged by a pair of channel shaped lateral eXtensions 3 into sides/l which are joined integrally or otherwise to ai transversely arched top 5. The body l is closed at one end by an end member 6 and is open at its opposite end. The channel shaped lateral extensions.

3 are in open communication along their inner sides for the entire length thereof and constitute guideways in which a pair of channel shaped troughs 7 are longitudinally slidable.

The troughs 7 vare joined integrally to a horizontal platform 8 at opposite side edges of the latter, the platform 8 being upwardly offset with respect to the bottoms of the guidways 3pc vthat the platform' 8 will be supported lslightly above. the level of the upper walks or tops of channel guideways 3 when the bottom of the troughs rest flatwise upon the lower walls or bottoms of the channel guideways. The upper walls 6r tops of the channel gudeways 3 may be considered as horizontally extending shoulders in body of the receptacle spaced from the bottom of the body of the receptacle for engaging with the upper edges of the channel shaped troughs 7 to retain the l/atter and the platform 8 against movement vertically in 'the receptacle when the bottoms of the troughs 7 are slidably supported on the bottions of the flange 9 .serving'asclosuresfon the inner ends of the troughs 7.

A fiat stiifening .and bracing member, A.

which preferably is( made of wood, has an inner end portion 11 which 'fits against the under face of the platform 8I between the troughs 7 and an outer end portion 12- which extends 4outward from the outer end of the platform 8 and laterally at the outer ends of the troughs 7 to produce closures for outer ends ofthe troughs. x The lower face' of stifening and bracing member ll--12 lies substantially Hush with the bottoms of the troughs 7. A door 13 preferably is formed of sheet metal bent to provide a rim flange 14 which is adapted tov lit snugly in the open end of the body'bf the receptacle between the platform 8 and the side andtop walls o'f the body of the receptacle. The flange 14 may be merged into the body of the door by an outwardly turned marginal portion 15 of two lapped thicknesses of the metal sheetof which the door is formed,- this outwardly turned marginal portion 15 constituting what may be termed a marginal head for engaging with the adjacent end of the body of the receptacle tolimit the inward movement of the fiange 14 in the body of the receptacle when the door, which is secured at its lower 'edge byhinges 16 to the platform 8, is swung to closed position while the platform is in retracted position in the receptacle. Screws 17 which connect the hinges 16 with the platform 8 ex tend through the latter into the underlying stifening and bracing member 11-12 for the platform -and serve not only to secure the hinges firmly to the platform but also tend to prevent displacement of the stiffening and bracing member from a desirable position with respect to the platform. Obviously, other screws or like fastening devices, such as indicated at 184 may be employed to secure the platform 8 and troughs 7 securely to the stiifening and bracing member 11-12. The door may be provided with a knob 19. A latch pin 20, which extends through an opening in the flange 14 from a holder 21, is urged up'- ward continuously by a spring 22 which is disposed in the holder between a head 23 on the pin and the bottom of the holder.

The head 23 is larger than the opening in the flange 14 and prevents the pin from being projected completely from the holder while the spring 2 2 functions yieldingly to hold thepinextended sufficiently far to engage with the top of the body of the receptacle to tend to-keep the door closed.

The outer end portion 12 of the stiifening and bracing member limits the downward swinging movement of the door from closed position and also is provided on its under .surface with'spaced rubber rest elements v24 which cooperate with the bottom of the receptacle to support the platfornr in horizontal position on a table 25 or like sup-- porting surface when the platform has been extended from the receptacle;

" A handle 26 may be secured on the top of the receptacle'for convenience in moving the receptacle from place to place.

A- transversely extending slot 27 is formed through the platform 8 and into the underlying portion of the stiening and bracing member This slot 27 lextends from the slot 27 and adjacent to one side edge of the platform, the respective openings 29 being different distances from the slot27. Similar openings 30 are formed through the platform 8 into the underlying stili'ening and bracing member adjacent to the/opposite side edge of the patform. .A stop 31 is made of a wire bent to have substantially C-'shaped end portions, the end portions oflthe lower arms of which areJ bent laterally and then downwardly to provide offset attaching ends 32 which may be insertedin corresponding openings 29-30 to secure the stop detachably to the platform with the body of the stop in a plane located at a distance lfrom the slot 27 which may be varied within limits by placing the attaching ends 32 of the stop in different palrs of corresponding openings 29-30.

E rom the foregoing description of the varuious parts of the device, the operation thereof .may lbe readily understood. The platform with a loaf 33\of bread,cake or the like thereon may be retracted into the receptacle and the door of the receptacle the loaf when a knife blade 34 is slidl downwardly through 'the loaf along the legs of the guide 28 into the slot 27. The

provision of the slot 27 not only prevents Contact of the cutting edge of the knife blade with metal atthe end of the cutting stroke when the platform 8 is made of metal but assures a4 clean cut at the end of the cutting stroke, the cutting edge of the blade snapping through the crust at the bottom of the loaf into the slot 27 and obvia'ting tearing or crushing of the crust at the'end of the cutting stroke. Crumbs resulting from the shearing of slices of bread from the loaf will fall into the troughs 7 and may be disposed of as desired subsequentl The stop 31 or an' equiva- `lent thereo may be adjustably secured on i Slices of any one of a plurality of dii-ferent thicknesses therefore may be sliced accurately and quickly from the loaf. f

Obviously, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in formsl other thanA that which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and I therefore consider as my own all such modifications'and adaptations thereof as fairly fall vwithin the scope of 'a trough carried by said platform at one side o the platform.

QUA device of the character described comprisinga receptacle having a body open at one end, a platform slidable to and from position to be housed in the receptacle, a

door for closing the open end of thebody of 'said platform.

of the receptacle when the platform is retracted inthe receptacle, said platform be' ing adapted to support a loaf of bread or the like so that slices may be severed from the loaf, and troughs at the sides of the platform for catcliing crumbs produced whenV the loaf is sliced on the platform,

said troughs being carried bythe platform and the bottomsof the troughs being located below the level of the upper surface 3. A device of comprising at one end, a platform slidable to and from position to be housedoin the receptacle, a door forclosing the open end of the body the character described of the receptacle, Awhen the platform is -retracted in the receptacle,

said platform beloaf of bread or be severed from carried by the platform at ing ,adapted to support a the like so that slices may the loaf,troughs the a receptacle having a body open' sides -of the platform for catching crumbs produced when the loaf is sliced on the platform, the upper edges of said troughs being level with the upper face of said platform and horizontal shoulders on the side walls of said body of thereceptacle for engaging with the upper edges of said troughs to hold said platform and troughs against vertical displacement in the receptacle and for covering said troughs when said platform is housed in the receptacle. 1

4. A device of the character described, comprising a receptacle having an elongated body open at one end and having a substantially at bottom, the sidesof-said receptacle body having the lower portions thereof formed to produce a pair of out- Wardly turned longitudinally extending lateral substantially channel-shaped guides,

said guides being open at their inner. sides, a platform slidableon the fiat bottom of the receptacle to and from position to be housed within the receptacle, .and a pair of substantially U-shaped troughs carried by the platform at its opposite side edges inl positions to slide longitudinally in lsaid substantially channel-shaped guide portions of the receptacle body pas said platform moves into and out ofthe receptacle.

5. In a device of the character described,

a receptacle having a body open at oneJ end and having a substantially flat bottom, a platform slidable on the bottonr and spaced rest elements on the bottom face of the outer end portion of said platform for cooperating with the bottom of theA receptacle to maintainthe platform xhorizontal on a flat supporting surface when the platform is in extended position and f or engaging with the edge of the bottom at the open end of the receptacle to limit the movement of the platform into thereceptacle.

MILTON WILLIAM POTTER.- 

